My Bharath

People are born to work out their karma.
But you were born to weed out our karma.
Liberation is the general goal.
But you were born for transforming
The very world into spiritual in its core.
Evolution just a primary schooling
You have taught the world
The Param Atman's involution
Carrying the destiny of beings
To the final Realisation.
You are the Terra of the Divine
Lotus, Aravinda of Transcendence!
All loving Mother of beings, every and all!
My Bharath Divine!
You are my worship,dream and solace.
Suprabhath pranams on this happy day.
Srirangam Mohanarangan

Reality and Ideology

 What is reality? What is Ideology? Does Ideology reveal and underline Reality? Or Does Ideology block the vision of Reality? When I touch a stone I am just touching a stone. But if I begin to think I am touching matter then do I bring in an idea of matter. Does the idea matter become a cover over the stone? Or am I always in touch with only ideas and pure things are only later deductions? But sensations are they not immediate? Or are they really mediate? The sensations become things only after mediated by processes and interpretations. Such mediation if tampered may not be informative about objects out there but will furnish their details as their own content.

But Thirumoolar makes an axially different statement when he says ' Wood is hidden in the elephant visible. Image elephant now is hidden in the wood. Ultimate Reality now hidden by the world of five elements. In Ultimate Reality is merged this world of five elements.'

Srirangam Mohanarangan

***

Domestic superstitions

 There are some superstitions in persons who ring the calling bell.

First, thinking that the host is just waiting behind the door for the bell to go.

Second, thinking that the host is intentionally delaying to respond even after two successive rings.

Thirdly, thinking that the host will be able to smell from the absence who has come and gone away when the door is opened.

Coupled with this is the comedy - reaching back home or going somewhere, from there making a call through mobile saying that having waited and rang the bell a couple of times, returned with the door unopened.

Best answer to this is always : 'oh sorry my friend. A mismatch. When opened the door nobody was around. It was you at last. Great. Sorry yea.'

Of course you need lot of ascetic practice to maintain the civic temperance.

Srirangam Mohanarangan

***

Transcendent Symbol

 I am wondering at the genius of Rishis. Making fire, Agni, itself as the symbol - idol - sign of the Supreme Being. The fire that is lit, even at birth looks inverted as if coming from beyond into the mundane, with his mouth on things and take-off to the beyond always. Established There participating Here. What better natural symbol-idol-sign can be there than this to meditate on Param Atman, Transcendent Supreme Being? And lo! the Rishi makes another stroke of Ojas when he says that the fire Agni resides always as the fire inside our cave of heart, our consciousness. 'Guhaiyil vaLarum kanalE'. - Nihitam GuhAyAm.

Srirangam Mohanarangan

***

About a Russian book in translation

 A book in translation in Tamil which I like is 'manidan eppadi pErARRal mikkavan AnAn'. I bought it some decades ago, in street pandalled book shop of Russian books in translation, (into English, into Tamil, on various subjects Science, History, Literature etc). The book I mentioned is one written by M Ilin and E Segal. In English translated by Beatrice Kinkead. Who translated in Tamil I do not remember. But the get up of the Tamil book was so aesthetic, that you wanted to read it just because you take it and open it. Not only that, how the Tamil translator was able to capture full tones of the original is something amazing. In Beatrice Kinkead's translation the theme of the book is on the following lines:

"There was a time when man, too, lived in just such an invisible cage and was bound by just such an invisible chain. If we want to find out how he succeeded in breaking the chain and getting out of the cage, we'll have to go to the woods and see how our relatives there, who are still prisoners, live.

So we must begin this book about man with a walk in the woods and a talk about wild animals and birds.

You've often heard people talk about being "free as a bird." But do you suppose a woodpecker is free ? If he were a "free" bird he could fly anywhere he happened to take a notion and live wherever he pleased. And that's absolutely not the case. Just try moving a woodpecker to a treeless prairie. He'd die, for he can live only where there are trees. It's just as if he were chained to a tree by an invisible chain which he can't break."

But can we appreciate this sentiment just at present moments? Then are we caged by our own blindness of the haughty ahankara? Knowledge can liberate but perhaps wisdom alone can maintain freedom from the great onslaught ever possible, that is, from our own selves.?

Srirangam Mohanarangan

***

Proof of faith.. ?

 Are there proofs for faith? Proofs are there if you do not believe in things of common experience. But for faith? Faith alone may be common but not its contents. May be you will like to say what does not need proof is actually faith. But who knows? Faith sometimes may search for anchor or a collateral yes, however remote. In the great commentaries of Sri Vaishnavaite devotion there goes an observation to this effect. That when you are sleeping, who is in charge you? your system? voluntary and involuntary? Who maintains your fort till you wake up? (of course even after you wake up, there are so many things happening to make it possible for you to make conscious moves, that is a different matter). If the supreme principle immanent in you is in charge during your sleep, if Paramatma is taking care of you when your eyes are closed, your system shutdown, then why should you doubt when you are awake? - 'who protects you while asleep will not fail you when you are awake'.

Czeslaw Milosz, a great Polish/Lithuanian poet, who won Nobel Prize in 1980, expresses his sentiments on faith in a poem, which are so resonating with what I understood about the Sri Vaishnavaite observation in the commentaries.

"Faith is in you whenever you look

At a dewdrop or a floating leaf

And know that they are because they have to be.

Even if you close your eyes and dream up things

The world will remain as it has always been

And the leaf will be carried by the waters of the river."

Perhaps dispassionate details may not interest you unless and otherwise accented by a hurt personal, reminding and reassuring. But can one call such hurts painful? when they really are soothing scathing bruises of doubts?

"You have faith also when you hurt your foot

Against a sharp rock and you know

That rocks are here to hurt our feet."

*

Things concrete sometimes come as proof of things abstract. Things tangible may underline our transcendent hopes. Perhaps our humility must become more and more understanding rather than just a vehement stance.

Srirangam Mohanarangan

***

How we approach..

 How we approach, our methodology may be illuminating the subject of study or just discounting it whole and thereby prove a torch of not light on something but a torch of darkening something. Do we ever doubt that such a thing may happen? Perhaps not. When we have our reasoning, why not all subjects behave themselves accordingly. We may expect the subjects of study to learn discipline, to behave to our approach. Swami Nampillai, a great commentator of Tamil songs on Sri Vishnu, sung by the Tamil saints Alwars, has something to say on this. According to him, this human being by approaching all things in ego-centric ways finds itself ultimately destroying whatever is touched by its approach. Rather it can choose to change its approach. By realising its intrinsic nature of meaningful subservience to the Inner Soul, Bhagavan, the approach will become divine-centric and instead of destruction it will find exuberance and fulfillment of whatever is being touched. It all depends on seeing one's own fulfillment in the Immanent Soul, Bhagavan.

Resonating with this thought are these poetic lines frrom Lucian Blaga, the Romanian philosopher and poet.(died 1961)

Non compromising to the communist regime, he was an important Romanian poet. In his book of poetry, 'At the court of yearning' -

"I will not crush the world’s corolla of wonders

And will not kill

with reason

the mysteries I meet along my way

in flowers, eyes, lips, and graves.

The light of others

drowns the deep magic hidden

in the profound darkness.

I increase the world’s enigma

with my light ....."

Parallel reading has its own resonance and mutual illuminations.

Srirangam Mohanarangan

***

How to read Savitri?

 "It does not matter if you do not understand it, but read it always; you will see that everytime you read it there will be something new revealed to you. Each time you will find something new, each time a new experience; things which were not there, things you did not understand arise and suddenly become clear. Always something unexpected comes through the words and lines. Everytime you try to read and understand, you will see that something is added, something which was hidden behind is revealed clearly and vividly."

"To read Savitri is indeed to practise Yoga, spiritual concentration; one can find there all that is needed to realise the Divine. Each step for you is noted here, including the secrets of all other Yogas also. Surely if one sincerely follows what is revealed here in each verse, one will finally reach the transformation of the Supramental Yoga. It is the infallible guide who never abandons, it is support; he is everywhere always there for him who wishes to follow the path."

(Mother on Savitri)

So true, every word of it. Pranams Mother and thanks for expressing these thoughts.

***

Meditation

What if we all meditate during this time,
thinking positive thoughts,
shedding off all feelings of hatred,
wishing for the welfare of the world !
Will it not be great to do it ?
Perhaps it will open in us
an inward path,
an inner door
all the time locked and not seen!
Perhaps a period of reset
of our emotions and stances
Perhaps we evolve spiritually
more into the higher stages
An Old Relative
whom we never visited
is waiting inside
in the heart of each one of us
now when we have all the time
at disposal sans exposure
when Time itself bends inward
forcing us as it were
to visit the Great Mother
deep into our hearts
who has been waiting ages
waiting for us to turn and see
Her graceful and benign watch.
Perhaps... we can meditate.
Mother please pardon us
and give your grace.
Srirangam Mohanarangan

***

me and Self

A dark enclosure
me inside
nothing else around
a hole in the enclosure
opening out to the blue bright sky
contours of the hole
silhouetting the bluish bright beyond

Or a piece of round blue 'skyish' object
fixed on to the enclosure
if you want to be loyal to your perception.
Anyhow I have a choice, an option
if I say it is blue object round
I am dark enclosed and me inside
If I see the bright blue sky beyond
with the hole as just an 'upadhi'
a chance condition helping the appearance,

I am not inside, not out
but as space and sky
blue and formless
spread everywhere
as unseen and seeing eye;
I do have the option
which way I choose
the sky is there ever
the truth is here for ever

but of course I can choose
to be the enclosure and enclosed
dark with a bright blue round around
an option
I do have a choice
or do I

Srirangam Mohanarangan

***

Details.. and details

Details. Is there perhaps a philosophy of details? Of course Soren Kierkegaard or Nietzsche might have told something. But the enormity of details and variations and variations even in those which are seemingly repeating. Why bother? Carry on... yea it is an option we can give to ourselves or at least imagine so. Or with the poet of ancient Tamil 'aestheticize' the problem with 'knowing you only finish by coming to know that there is yet to know'. Or with Nammalwar you can make a devotion on that 'within every hidden micro space within every subtle matter in that, He resides in full as if in the whole cosmos'.

Or to get the feel of wonder and fear at the same time on the phenomenon of details of this our world you can watch George Steiner how he is able to recreate in words chaos in cosmos or cosmos in chaos:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1z3sMGYjNk

Festival of Tiruvaimozhi

It is not just an honorary encomium to call Srirangam as Sri Vaikunta on Earth. It closely follows the descriptions of Sri Vaikunta given in Agamas. Great scholars like Parameswara Samhita Govindachariyar Swami were able to say the significance of each and every piece of the theological topology around - so I have heard it said by scholars. In Vedanta and Agamas there are descriptions of souls after death reaching through the path of Archiraadi, the Ultimate Divine Land. Archiraadi comes from the root 'archis', which means light. How very positive the very eschatology becomes! The picture of grim death is transformed into a journey through light!

But alas! we have left everything to the fag end of life, all things spiritual to be bothered only after 60th or 70th year. And before we turn 50 we incur all diseases and eye problem, ear problem, if we walk our body lags behind, we cannot attend to anything for long, too much strain is against doctor's advice and so on so on. Such is our involvement and luck!

'Hey! you do not know what cares, what problems, ... bread winning is tough... Job's demands rule large and thick! No time.. as if it is not enough, family worries raking'

Yea yea... of course... but no problem prevents us from long hours of watching cricket, our favorite cine shows, and and... Nothing wrong. World is full of different tastes. But sometime, if at all we care and stop and listen to this line of Nammalvar, "Before the brimming youth withers away, Temple of Mayon of abounding brilliance, wit and wisdom indeed to go and worship undelaying", if one really understands these lines and takes to heart to go to Srirangam, a rare scene indeed to be seen there during the month of Margazhi.

Day break, the cool fogs and the streaming chants of Thiruppavai making the very land of Srirangam as Sri Vaikuntam. Hot pongal and the pleasing morning rays beating rhythm with divine music and Sri Ranaganatha showing the path of liberation all through the month. Araiyars chanting and reciting the Divine Tamil of Divya Suris to Aranga! Who made it possible when? It was Thirumangaimannan. He built the wall around the town. Encircling Truth fashioned his Tamil. Sri Andal woke up the dormant devotion. The unwinking God was fully aware in His wakeful sleep. And Sri Ranganatha, the chasing lover of Tamil, is all attendence in His Divine Office when Tamil is pouring forth all around. Kaliyan was so fond of Nammalvar and his Tamil. He was waiting for an occasion. Once the divine voice spoke to him, 'Kaliyan! what is that you want?' Kaliyan said, 'You must hear our Alwar's Tiruvaimozhi beginning from Ekadasi of Sri Vaikunta.' So it started and so it is coming down. The Tamil planted by Kaliyan, watered by Nathamuni became Karpaga Vritcha in Sri Ramanuja's time, Tamil of Sanga blossoming as Tamil of Ranga.
Srirangam Mohanarangan 

***

Vedanta in Tamil - Coimbatore V Kuppuswamy Iyer's translation of Gita

At the start of the twentieth century a wonderful book of translation in Tamil has come out. It is the translation of Srimad Bhagavad Gita. Why this translation is wonderful, when more than one translation were coming out even in nineteenth century and even after this translation in the twentieth? It is because of the format and coverage of this attempt. This translation was by one V Kuppuswamy Iyer of Coimbatore. He is Villavarambal Kuppuswamy Iyer, who was a Vakkil in Coimbatore District Court in 1901 (the traditional year of publication given is Kali 5002).

The book runs to nearly 900 pages. Perhaps a further edition came out later which contains 995 pages in total published in two volumes. The slokas are given in grantha lipi, followed by word by word meaning in Tamil. Then follows explanatory elaborations which contain varied and many interpretations of great Acharyas and Commentators, sometimes in great detail and sometimes only the portions which bear on the differences. The author seems to have avoided as per his own declaration the caustic criticisms among various schools of thought. His approach seems to be a new one whereby we can see the varied perspectives on Gita slokas in a continuous narrative in Tamil. Perhaps he might have missed the detailed nuances of colloquy that happen back and forth across time between different schools. But it is a unique treat for the somewhat deep and common reader to get a feel of the variety without the heat of the difference. In the second volume Sri V Kuppuswami Iyer has done a great thing in the 18th chapter on the subject of Brahma Jnana. He has collected nearly all the relevant passages from the various Upanishads on the theme of Brahma Jnana and has given it in 60 pages as part of the elucidations. 

It is really astounding to see how many persons down the centuries have put forth their efforts in Vedanta in Tamil.
Srirangam Mohanarangan

***

Vedanta in Tamil and Sri Ramakrishna Math

I have been writing every now and then on the subject of Vedanta in Tamil. And this subject will not be complete and meaningful if we do not mention and praise with our full heart the glorious services of Sri Ramakrishna Math. Not only in Tamil, but in very many languages across India and all over the world, RK Math makes available in easy and accessible style the great scriptures of Hinduism. Accessible mainly to the lay public and common readers everywhere. In Tamil in the recent years a great feat has been accomplished by a monk of the Ramakrishna Order, viz., Swami Asutoshananda.

The main books basic and referential in Hinduism in a broad sense can be listed as the following three books - Upanishads, Sri Brahma Sutras, Srimad Bhagavat Gita. These three books have been termed as 'Three systems of books'. In Sanskrit it is termed as 'Prasthana Traya'. Ten Upanishads form the most referenced and universal out of a vast collection. Sri Brahma Sutras otherwise known as Vedanta Sutras, a systematic presentation of the core concepts of Upanishads. Again Sri Bhagavat Gita is a summary in poetic form of all important ideas of the Upanishads. All these three sets of books have been engaging great minds of our Hindu society belonging to different schools of conviction and as a result we have in our heritage many libraries of commentaries and meta-commentaries down the millennia. But in Tamil for the common people and lay public good and readable translations have been a recurring necessity. There have been excellent attempts to satisfy this need many times in premodern and modern days. (Sri Anna of R K Math Chennai, Sri Kuppuswamy Raju of Thanjavur) But now we can be satisfied that a solid attempt has been made by Swami Asutoshananda. Care for the common reader is so very evident in each and every page of the monk's efforts. 

Of course each and every book deserves praise from an eager reader. But what he has achieved in Brahma Sutras is so brilliant by way of communication and easy putting forth. It is not to say that there are not points to differ and argue between scholars but when viewed from what a common reader will be getting for the meagre price, it is wonderful. And the duty of a common reader of Hindu society, if not of any serious minded reader, begins with investing in such rare sets of the three books of reference.
Srirangam Mohanarangan

***

Holy Company

What is Satsanga?

It is just the narrow aisle behind the door in Tirukkovalur.
Just a space for one spanning for two accommodating standing for three and all together with the transcendent thrust as the four. All four in good unison consciousness. Such is good company.

The first entrance of spirituality is Satsang. And holy company is very precious and immeasurable. Is it for nothing that Sri Adisankara says 'by holy contact all wrong contacts wither away. Bad contacts gone make the intellect strong. When the intellect is strong and unshaken it is verily freedom in life.'

Holy company has the capacity to bring the Transcendent above alive on earth. Our Ego is the multiheaded snake Kaaliyan. To quell it we need the feet of Sri Krishna to dance on its heads. Holy company is verily those divine feet of Krishna. Sages are the sacred feet of the Supreme Soul. Sri Krishna Premi used to say in a talk. 'why do you bother that you are not having company? Resort to holy books. Great sages will meet you there in those pages. When you open Bhagavata the great Suka himself will come and talk to you. If you open Bharata the great Vyasa will give you company. You will never be alone.' Premi has a point in saying that.

In those times of old to meet holy company you have to travel physically, time-consuming and very exerting. But in our days how facile and helpful is technology! Kaliyuga is not all that bad. It has its benign aspects also. In Kali, the Divine Name and the Holy Company are very powerful. Whether we travel in person or we make virtual contacts modern science and technology have made things much more easier and joyful. It is up to us to put things in proper use. Take for instance Puri Jagannath ! How holy the land is! What association of Holy Personages! The great Chaitanya with his singing HariBol! Sri Ramakrishna brought some sand from the land of Brindavan to be laid in his Dakshineswar sadhana cottage. When he went there he saw divine visions. But when we visit we see only carts and trains, monkeys and birds only. Yea we have willfully closed our inner eyes and introvert ears. We have forgotten how to open them also. No problem. When the right time comes the buds will blossom! When the tunes from His flute reach our souls, the drooping shriveled hearts will light up and aflame again the journey will be resumed! Till that time perhaps we can play with pebbles.
Srirangam Mohanarangan

***

Sri Parasara Bhattar and Thirunedunthandakam

An episode from the life of Sri Ramanuja. In his ripe old age Sri Ramanuja who was called Emberumaanaar asked somebody to go and fetch Sri Parasara Bhattar. Sri Parasara Bhattar was young then and so full of erudition and wisdom even in that young age. Seeing Sri Bhattar with eyes full of affection and kindness, Sri Ramanuja told everyone around to hold Sri Bhattar in high respect equal to himself. Sri Ramanuja then in a very affectionate tone told Sri Bhattar, "My child! I have become very old and there is a task yet to be finished. My age will not allow me to take that up. I am leaving that task to you. When time becomes ripe you must finish that task without fail. That task is nothing but bringing Sri Madhava Vedanti of Mysore to our Visishtadvaita Darsana. He is now busy and deep in Mayavada and he is an adept in all six systems. This is what I am leaving with you to finish and I believe you will do it.

Sri Parasara Bhattar was firm and he was waiting for an opportune time to initiate the task. Once an itinerant brahmin came to Sri Bhattar's residence and began to narrate his various experiences in different parts of the country. He began to talk about Sri Madhava Vedanti of Mysore and Sri Parasara Bhattar's attention grew keen. The itinerant person was saying that while conversing with Sri Madhava Vedanti, he dropped a reference about Sri Parasara Bhattar himself and the said Vedanti became very much interested to know more about Sri Bhattar. As a consequence, the itinerant person seemed to have briefed the Vedanti about the voracious studies and erudition of Sri Bhattar in all known subjects. When Sri Bhattar heard this he just smiled and observed, 'why Sir? you have just narrated about me only those details which are ordinary and not of much significance. You are a person of great civility having visited very many cities and towns. A person of culture and exposure like you should be able to specify the most extraordinary qualifications of a person, while introducing him to another reputed scholar. Whereas you have left out what is extraordinary in my acquisitions and just described about me only the ordinary things which are common everywhere in the scholarly world.'

The itinerant person was taken aback and said that he would be doing amends the next time. But first he must know for himself what is that extraordinary thing about Sri Bhattar's erudition. Sri Bhattar told him about his deep involvement and knowledge in a particular work of Sri Thirumangai Alwar, viz., 'Thirunedunthandakam'. It was a poetical work of deep theological import containing some thirty verses in all. But the meanings of the work when elucidated are really deep and vast. The next time when the itinerant person met Sri Madhava Vedanti in Mysore, he unfailingly remembered to mention this fact about Sri Bhattar to him. Sri Vedanti was very much intrigued and he began to wonder 'what is this scholar in Srirangam! He is so thorough and deep in such a work, even the name of which is unheard of by me! My God!'

And in his round of holy visits to temples and towns the itinerant person came to Srirangam again and updated Sri Bhattar about the dismay and wondering of Sri Vedanti. Sri Parasara Bhattar after some days set out to Mysore with the aim of meeting Sri Vedanti and holding discussions with him. People who knew about Sri Vedanti told Sri Bhattar that he could not just like that go and visit Sri Vedanti, for, the disciples of Sri Vedanti will never allow him to go past themselves and approach the main Scholar. They would engage him in endless arguments and circles of debates and vex him even for months together. So how then to approach him? The only way seemed to be going incognito as if for alms, in the beggars' queue. This queue will not be inspected by anybody and what more, the said Vedanti himself used to attend doling out alms personally.

So Sri Bhattar went like an ordinary person-in-need in that queue and when he was nearing where the great Pandit was standing, Sri Bhattar broke the queue and went straight towards the Pandit. Everybody was crying at him. 'Hey this way this way, go for alms there!'. But Sri Bhattar was intent at his target. Sri Madhava Vedanti was also perplexed at the very strange behaviour of this man of alms. He asked him, 'What bhiksha do you want?' Sri Bhattar replied, "Traka bhiksha. It is the alms of debate which I want and not of any food.'

Then and there they sat for discussion and the debate went on for days, both sides silently appreciating in their hearts the extraordinary erudition of each other. At last, as the great Bhagavan willed it, things became suddenly so very clear in his dreams for Sri Vedanti and after that he became just a silent admirer and enthusiast of Sri Bhattar. Sri Vedanti wanted to follow his new found Master back to Srirangam. But Sri Bhattar desisted and told Sri Vedanti to take all his time in absorbing the changed perspective in full. And in more composed times and confirmed moods to take proper decisions.

When Sri Parasara Bhattar reached back Srirangam, he went straight to the shrine of Sri Ranganatha and began to narrate everything that happened to the Lord. It was his custom always to do so, after visiting any place and coming back, to go and report to the Lord personally. And it was the day prior to the start of Pagalpatthu - Day Ten festival of Sri Vaikunta Ekadasi. Sri Ranganatha asked him how he won over the Pandit. 'It was by the merit of explicating Thirunedunthandakam my Lord!' was Sri Bhattar's reply. Hence the hoary custom of Thirunedunthandakam chanting being held before the start of Pagalpatthu even to this day.
Srirangam Mohanarangan

***

Sri Ramana Maharishi - some thoughts on

Sri Ramana Maharishi, I came to know when I was a boy through the book of Sri Ramana Vijayam, written by Yogi Suddhanandha Bharathi in Tamil. Excellent photos of Bhagavan and the Arunachala Hills and caves were enchanting to the eyes and engaging the mind. In the front even Yogi's photo was such an aura.

Invariably, all spiritual personages were given those days in books, a circular-light background to the head. So in the school days, the natural idea was spirituality means something fantastic, suffusing with brilliance, light and rays. It was more optical and luminary. After reading epic-like narrations of Yogi about Maharishi it added all the more to the irradiance. Even now Yogi's 'language' is unforgettable.

And that too, appendixed by my father's memory of meeting Bhagavan, added still more to the depth of the event of my getting introduced to the Ramana's loka. My father Mr R Venugopal, used to have a photo of himself acting the part of Prince of Morocco from Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice, , where the still portrays the moment of the dialogue -- "Hey pluck the young sucking-cubs from the she-bear"- when he was showing the action of gripped right fist across his chest, along his left eye.

I asked him one day, 'why do you keep this photo always in your purse?' Then he was telling it carries a story, associated with Sri Ramana Maharishi. I was all eager and babbled out - 'have you seen him? did you talk to him? what did he say? what did you ask?'

My father was saying, "cool boy cool. There was no talk and questions. Once I went to the Hills to have his Darshan. First day it didn't click. Second day I tried, thinking, if not that time then to return back home, visiting temples. Fortunately I found entry among the devotees sitting in front. It was uniquely calm to watch him and just sit there. For some purpose, I took out my purse to take or place something there. Perhaps Bhagavan was seeing that, I do not know. This photo, a still of the just-staged play, I was keeping it there. He asked for the photo and stared at it for a moment. Then doing the same action in the photo by folding his fist and looking at me, he returned it. I consider this as his blessing and am keeping it as the sacred memory."

*

A Thiruppugazh on Thirumal

A rare song of the genre 'thiruppugazh' on Thirumaal. This is my translation of the piece -

You created this world
you recovered this world
you saved this world
you measured this world
you swallowed this world
not only that
you brought this world out again
you have been born in this world
and you have taken form
similar to the beings of this world
and you have become the goal
of all the religions sixfold as a sport
to suit the tastes and understandings
of all the worlds triune
sustaining ever
is it possible for me, a slave
to extol and praise your grace
and narrate the great acts
of your incarnations
done for our protection?
when the cows and oxen hedged in their yards
were driven asunder by the fiery rains,
seeing their plight you rushed
and took a mountain aloft as a shelter
for the pining kine
are you not one tall form of Love, my Lord!
You were born in Madura
famous for swans beautifully asleep in ponds
and the musician-bees ringing
lisps of sweet ragas while exploring
the buds of lotuses in the morn"

This is my translation of one old Tamil Thiruppugazh song sung by one Kuravai Iraamaanuja Dasar written about 1850 and published in 1857 and again in 1897. This forms part of his work which is called Noorriyettutthiruppathi thiruppugazh - a composition on 108 temples of Thirumaal. The original of this verse is as follows -

உலகுப டைத்திடந்திவ் வுலகமெ டுத்தளந்திவ்
வுலகம டுத்தருந்தி
யொழியாதே
யுலகம றித்துமிழ்ந்திவ் வுலகுத னிற்பிறந்திவ்
வுலகுயி ரொத்து நின்று
நிலையாகும்
அலகில்ச கத்ரயங்க ளவரவ ருக்கிணங்கி
யறுசம யத்தினின்று
விளையாடி
யருள்புரி ரட்சகங்க ளுனதுச ரித்திரங்க
ளடியனெ டுத்தியம்ப
வசமாமோ
பலகிடை யிற்கிடந்த பசுநிறை தட்டழிந்து
பதறவி டுத்திடுங்கன்
மழைமாரி
படுமொரு விர்த்திகண்டு மலைகுடை யிட்டுநின்று
பரிபவ ரட்சைதந்த
நெடுமாலே
மலர்வன சத்தரும்பும் முகையவி ழக்குடைந்து
மழலைவ ரிச்சுரும்ப
ரிசைபாட
மடவெகி னக்குலங்கள் விழிதுயில் பொற்பிலங்கு
வடமது ரைப்பிறந்த
பெருமாளே !

My homage to Thiru Kuravai Iraamaanuja Dasar! (and Thiru S E Arangasamy Mudaliyar who brought this out in 1897)

***

Four kinds of knowers as Thirumoolar says

How many ways of knowing are there! The great mystic of Siva, Thirumoolar speaks about many types of knowers.

Some knowers are like rainy water. They are always reductive. They reduce everything to mundane level and interpret accordingly. Some are like pearl-divers. They dive in one place and go on exploring in one square. Some are like winds. When knowing they go about vast areas, without staying-put anywhere. They like to spread and spread always. May be their grasp of anything is shallow. Some are really knowers with clarity. They are precise and clear in their understanding.

So as per Thirumoolar we can classify knowers into four types. Rainy-knowers, Diving-knowers, Windy-knowers and Clear-knowers. Shall we say the formula is RDWC? 

Rainy-knowers - thaLi arivaaLar
Diving-knowers - kuLi aRivaaLar
Windy-knowers - vaLi aRivaaLar
Clear-knowers - theLi aRivaaLar

Sri Thirumoolar says Rainy-knowers (thaLi aRivaaLar) are like rain-water which always flow towards low levels. For them the Ultimate Truth looks always banal and materialistic.

Diving-knowers (kuLi aRivaaLar) concentrate always in one point and one angle and they lose sight of the whole.

Windy-knowers (vaLi aRivaaLar) always go about roaming and blowing here and there, around. So they may by chance get at the Truth, perhaps. May be they may not hold on to that.

Clear-knowers (theLi aRivaaLar) are those who are in grasp of the Ultimate Truth. The Truth resides in their thought.

First I will give my attempt in translating the verse and then the original.

For the Rainy-knowers It appears as if mundane and reductive
For the Diving-knowers the Whole Truth evades their grasp
For the Windy-knowers perhaps by chance they may come across
For the Clear-knowers He the Ultimate Truth resides in their thought.
(Thirumanthiram, 51 Theertham, 510, pp 74, Saiva Siddhanta Mahasamajam, 1940)

தளியறி வாளர்க்குத் தண்ணிதாய்த் தோன்றும்
குளியறி வாளர்க்குக் கூடவும் ஒண்ணான்
வளியறி வாளர்க்கு வாய்க்கிலும் வாய்க்கும்
தெளியறி வாளர்தம் சிந்தையு ளானே.

(This is just my attempt in understanding the verse. Great scholars can kindly excuse.)

***

A Tamil translation of Bhana

More than 500 years ago, a Tamil scholar and poet decided to translate in Tamil Bana Bhatta's Kadhambari in honeyed verses. In the intro-verses he himself says that in the Kali year 4562 he composed his Tamil verse translation. But why it didn't come out and become famous among scholars, no body knows. It has all the qualities to become a fond work of deep readers. Tamil is so excellent and resonating in its inherent elements. You begin to forget that the work is a translation.

The great scholar-poet was one Vaazhavandha Perumal. But even time could not stop the work seeing the light of day in 1912. A rare manuscript was with one Vakkil at Srirangam. He was Sri J Krishnayyangar. He asked the Tamil Pandit Sri P R Krishnamachariyar and Srirangam High School Tamil Pandit Guru Subbiramaniya Iyer to do a prose rendering of the same Tamil work. and got both the verses and the prose published in 1912 through The Wednesday Review Press at 'Trichinopoly' as Thiruchirappalli was so called at that time. My humble respects to J Krishnaiyangar of Srirangam. But for him perhaps we would not have come to know of such a work. He has really pleaded in the court of Time.

Even the verses indited as prayers in the beginning bespeak the fertile Tamil of Sri Vazhavandha Perumal.

பொன்கொண்ட நேமிப் புயல் பூமகள் புல்லிவாழும்
மின்கொண்ட மார்பன் எழுபார் சதுவேதனோடு
முன்கண்ட நாபி முதன்மூவகை மூர்த்தியான
என்கண்ட கோமான் இருபாதம் இறைஞ்சலுற்றேன்.

சொல்லும் பொருளும் கனியும் சுவையும் சுடரும்
எல்லும் சசியும் நிசியும் இயலும் இசையும்
ஒல்லும் உடலும் உயிரும் எனநாளும் ஒன்றிச்
செல்லும் பரசத்தி சிவன்றனைச் சிந்தை செய்வாம்.

முன்னான் முகனாவில் இருந்து மொழிந்த வேதம்
தன்னால் உலகம் தழைப்பித்தருள் தையல் துய்ய
நன்னாமம் என்னாளும் நவின்று நவின்று வாழும்
என்னா உளதாக எனக்கரி தாய துண்டே.

செங்கோல மேனிச் சிவனார் திருமைந்தன் எங்கள்
பங்கோன் முராரி மருகன்கடம் பற்கு முன்னோன்
வெங்கோப வேழ முகவன்வினை வேர றுக்கும்
எங்கோனடி சேர்பவர் இந்திரன் என்ன வாழ்வோர்.

மஞ்சுண்ட கோல மயிலுண்டு அயில் வேலும் உண்டு
துஞ்சுண்டு இனிநான் மறலிக்கு உயிர் தோற்பதுண்டோ
நஞ்சுண்டநாதர் மகனார் திருநாமம் உண்டு
நெஞ்சுண்டு பாட நினைவுண்டு அதி நேயமுண்டே.

So the mellifluous Tamil goes on and on. What better sweets can we add on this day, except to think of such poets and readers and literary enthusiasts of the old!

***